Almodovar's "All About My Mother"

In its most rudimentary understanding, Almodovar's "All About My Mother" is a discussion of the power structures in society that surround and constrain women. The viewer is shown the shame of an illegitimate child, the burden of single motherhood, the perils of prostitution, and the pressures of past conservative generations among a host of other women's issues, however these alone are not the director's focus. Analyzing the film based solely on identity politics would add up to a very shallow understanding of the artist's intention. While naturally these issues speak to the wholeness of the film as an artistic undertaking, Almodovar uses them to speak to an arguably deeper question of what is contained beneath the surface of things, the dichotomy of facade and being. We have examples in the film of a child-carrying nun, a staunchly conservative art forger, a woman outwardly calm and strong but emotionally broken on the inside, women are are men who like women and men who are women who like men, and finally, of course, the actresses Humo and Nina. Almodovar does this very artfully as the struggle of women's identity in being both a nurturer and an independent identity reflect the duality of many of the main characters. Ultimately, Almodovar equivocates the theme, not taking a strong stance either towards the futility of appearance nor character, and the film ends happily with Manuela getting a second son.